5 Bank Customer Service Mistakes to Avoid

Avoid these common bank mistakes to provide top-notch service to your customers.

Frustrating phone service loops, endless waits, ATM glitches and unfriendly lobby service are common bank customer service mistakes that can send customers fleeing in search of a new place to put their money.

Here are five bank customer service mistakes to avoid, and service lessons that will help you take your bank service up a notch:

1. No way to reach a live person locally

I remember clearly the day I was trying to reach a person at my local bank branch to find out if they had a notary available to notarize some bank records for me. I called the local number, pressed the number that most closely matched my reason for calling, then got put on hold for 30 minutes. When I finally spoke to a person, I learned that I’d gotten routed to a call center, and the person could not answer my question.

Service lesson: Offer an easy way for a customer to call and speak with an employee at a local bank branch. Some problems require a (local) human touch.

2. Lack of friendly service in the lobby

Sooner or later, even the most tech savvy customer will need to go into a local bank branch for some reason, and that experience can make or break their impression of the bank. Unfortunately, it’s exceedingly common for customers to walk into a bank branch without being acknowledged. One example: on a one-star review of a Florida bank branch, a customer wrote: “The banker does not even acknowledge that you are in the bank. I waited 30 minutes, no service, terrible service.”

Service lesson: Assign a greeter to smile, say hello and direct customers to the correct waiting place. As a bonus, bank greeters also can deter theft.

3. Long waits in the lobby

Another common service issue for customers who have to venture into the lobby: long waits. These can’t always be avoided, but you can do your best to provide efficient service. For example, the Banking Administration Institute (BAI), a nonprofit that focuses on improving banking standards, recommends using automated systems that offer alerts when your wait times are longer than your standards, so tellers and personal bankers can pick up the pace. You can also use online “lobby wait time widgets” so customers can check wait times at different branches before they go, the BAI suggests.

Service lesson: Be proactive about monitoring and reducing wait times at your bank, as long waits are one of the most common customer complaints.

4. Failure to reward loyalty

Bank loyalty programs pay off for banks by helping them attract (and keep) loyal customers. The flip side of this bid for loyalty is that these customers expect their loyalty to count for something when they have a service issue. In fact, MyBankTracker listed “loyalty means nothing” as one of the top 10 complaints they found sifting through thousands of bank reviews.

Service lesson: Train staff to take loyalty into account, and to acknowledge it when interacting with customers who have a problem or complaint. Many customers just want to feel seen, heard and valued.

5. Technical glitches

Some of my most frustrating experiences with banks have come in the form of technical glitches. More than once, I’ve driven through traffic while short on time to make a quick stop at an ATM to grab cash I’ll need at my destination, only to get to the ATM, spend precious time typing in my information, to then get an ATM error message. I’ve also had issues with glitchy apps, malfunctioning while I’m trying to deposit a check from a client, for example.

Service lesson: Pay special attention to making sure the technology that is supposed to provide convenience actually functions smoothly. Rather than rushing to employ a new technology like a chatbot, take your time, find the right vendor and get it right the first time.

Learning from these common service mistakes can help you improve the service at your bank, avoid negative online reviews and keep your customers happy.